During a video interview back in mid-October, Jeff Ali, the co-founder of Snap Lending Texas, broke into a burst of uncontrollable laughter after I suggested that he was the head of Snap Lending.
“I don’t know about being the head of Snap Lending,” said Ali, catching his breath. “I tell this to everybody, Cynthia and Paolah, my employees, are actually my bosses.”
Since Ali and his business partner Nick Ahmad created Snap Lending back in 2018, their employees have been critical for their exponential growth. In a matter of three years, this mortgage lending company based in Houston, Texas, has grown into one of the largest of its kind. Today, Snap Lending provides hundreds of traditional and non-traditional mortgages to families across Houston and all over Texas.
Ali defends that the success of Snap Lending over the past years has been a collective team effort. In their role as owners, Ali and his partner daily encourage their employees to become integral parts of Snap Lending.
“I always say this, and I say it wholeheartedly, ‘I am not the boss, and neither is Nick,’” said Ali. “We as owners, or any owner of a company, we are working for our employees; our employees are our bosses.”
Ali is a firm believer in the power of cultivating leadership among his employees and giving them the opportunity to grow personally and professionally along with the company. At Snap Lending, Ali has developed a culture of empowerment, in which he allows every employee to take the lead, giving them a sense of fulfillment.
“I want my employees to take the lead; I want them to take control; I want them to take the reins; I want them to be as big, as powerful, and as strong as they could become,” asserted Ali. “They bust their tail for the company and me; it is only fair that I want them to be as successful as the whole company.”
In mortgage and financing, cultivating leadership is critical since brokers and processors need autonomy to provide top-quality service to their clients. At Snap Lending, the company’s growth has been the result of developing a circle of proactive leaders.
Inside the halls of Snap Lending, each employee’s enthusiasm and passion for their work permeates every inch of the company.
In a short interview, Cynthia Ramirez, a mortgage broker at Snap Lending, and Paolah Molina, Snap Lending’s lead processor, described the work culture inside the company.
When asked if Ali and Ahmad keep them busy, Molina jokingly replied, “absolutely, today he called at 6:00 a.m.”
However, Ramirez and Molina declared that their work provides them with an unmeasurable sense of fulfillment despite the recurrent long days at the office.
“We are really passionate about our job. Nick and Jeff are our backbones; they really push us to be the best version of ourselves,” said Ramirez
“To us, it is not a hassle because we know it is gonna take us somewhere; there is a future,” explained Molina.
Today, Ali feels more fortunate than ever for having a network of elite leaders backing him inside his company. For 2022, Ali and his team are preparing to expand Snap Lending throughout other parts of Texas and neighboring states. He acknowledges that his team will be the most critical asset for this forthcoming phase of growth.
As an entrepreneur, “if you empower your employees and give them the ability to grow, the fruition that comes from that is 10 times greater,” concluded Ali. “I believe in my employees, and I want us all to grow as a unit.”
By Juan Sebastian Restrepo
In collaboration with Artistic Initiative Agency
